A team of researchers from Capital Medical University in China looked at the potential of tongxinluo, a traditional Chinese medicine, in treating diabetic nephropathy. Their findings on tongxinluo's possible mechanism of action were published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.
In an earlier study, the same team of researchers found that high-glucose-treated glomerular endothelial cells produced an increased number of exosomes that contain transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-B1) in order to activate glomerular mesangial cells.
Glomerular mesangial cell activation via TGF-B1/Smad3 signaling pathway is believed to contribute to the development of diabetic nephropathy.
The research team also found that tongxinluo has beneficial effects on the treatment of diabetic nephropathy in diabetic patients and Type 2 diabetic mice.
In the current study, they determined whether or not tongxinluo could improve the structure and function of the kidneys by suppressing the intercellular transfer of TGF-B1-containing exosomes from glomerular endothelial cells to glomerular mesangial cells.
They found that tongxinluo can suppress the secretion of TGF-B1-containing exosomes from high-glucose-treated glomerular endothelial cells.
In addition, they found that treatment with tongxinluo can suppress glomerular mesangial cell activation, proliferation, and extracellular matrix overproduction both in vitro and in vivo.
These findings demonstrated that inhibition of TGF-B1 transfer from glomerular endothelial cells to glomerular mesangial cells via exomes may be a possible mechanism of tongxinluo in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.
To read more studies on natural diabetes treatments, visit DiabetesCure.news.
Journal Reference:
Wu, X., Gao, Y., Xu, L., Zou, D., Zhu, Z., Wang, X., . . . Dang, W. TONGXINLUO INHIBITS RENAL FIBROSIS IN DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY: INVOLVEMENT OF THE SUPPRESSION OF INTERCELLULAR TRANSFER OF TGF-?1-CONTAINING EXOSOMES FROM GECS TO GMCS. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 29 June 2017; 45(05): 1075-1092. DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X17500586